A request story I got from 23Nelly. Thanks to my beta JDeppIsMyLovely! And Michael Jackson's, Man in the Mirror.

I'm Gonna Make A Change, For Once In My Life

It's Gonna Feel Real Good, Gonna Make A Difference, Gonna Make It Right . . .

As I, Turn Up The Collar On My favourite Winter Coat

This Wind Is Blowin' My Mind. I See The Kids In The Street,

With Not Enough To Eat Who Am I, To Be Blind?Pretending Not To See Their Needs

A Summer's Disregard, A Broken Bottle Top

And A One Man's Soul They Follow Each Other On the Wind Ya' Know'

Cause They Got Nowhere to go. That's Why I Want You To Know

It was frigid in London that winter, and Draco Malfoy pulled his winter cloak closer to his body to try and fight off the chilling wind. He wandered down Diagon Alley, scowling a considerable amount due to the bitter cold and the fact that the potion ingredients he had ordered and even made this trip for had yet to come in. It was a complete waste of time.

He turned out of Diagon Alley into the nicer part of the strip, noticing vaguely how empty it was that day. Typically the street would be busting at its seams with last minute Christmas shoppers, but it seemed that everyone had given up on going out that day, afraid of the weather that awaited them. It suited him fine, and made it rather easy for Malfoy to journey into the Quality Quidditch Supplies, intent on buying a new broom, after his last met a rather frightful end.

He pushed open the door and stepped inside, nearly knocking over the girl who was stationed behind it, her back turned towards him as she studied a rather nice looking broom. He extended a hand and easily grasped her arm, stopped the girl from slipping into anything else at the front of the store.

Malfoy took one look at the girl and smirked widely. She had long blond, straight hair that was pulled back into a braid, and tight trousers that allowed him to see the exact form of her legs. He looked into her dull green eyes and extended an arm to grasp her hand.

"I apologize," he said smoothly, kissing her knuckles gently. The girl's eyes widened slightly, and a small brush crept across her cheeks. She very well knew who the man in front of her was, and she was surprised to find him there, being so very sweet to her. "I didn't see you there. Are you alright?"

She nodded, smiling slightly. "Of course, my fault, I didn't even think about someone opening the door."

He nodded, dismissing the useless rubbish she had just said to him. "I'm Draco Malfoy," he said warmly, looking the girl in her eyes. "And you are, sweetheart?"

She giggled a bit, and he instantly knew the girl was younger then she looked. The sound vibrated in his head and he immediately lost interest in the blond, feeling reminders of the bloody schoolgirls he had tolerated for years flash throughout her head.

At 23, Draco's reputation had yet to change. He was rich, arrogant, and above all else, a well known Sex God. Girls from school occasionally came back for a one night romp, but he very rarely ever saw a girl intimately more then once. He had one desire, and every single woman he got involved with fully knew his intentions before he proceeded. No reason to cause extra drama with clingy women, was there?

"Penelope," the girl said, drawing back Draco's attention. He nodded lightly, determined now to apologize and leave, before she got the wrong idea. He had intended to bring her home with him, but age would be a possible issue and he just had no desire to question her. She smiled lightly at him and pulled her braid over her shoulder, looking for something for her hands to do.

"Well Penelope, be sure to be more careful next time," he said, stepping back from the girl, and leaving with an abrupt turn, not bothering to acknowledge her when she asked where he was going. Draco wandered purposely to the counter and picked up his pre-ordered broom, and paid quickly before shrinking the item and walking back out the door, ignoring the blond girl who glanced his way, now accompanied by a blond male.

Looks like it was a smart idea avoiding her.

He stepped back into the cold twilight, knowing it would be dark soon and he needed to find Blaise before he left. Hopefully he was somewhere in the Three Broomsticks. As he began to walk, he heard two voices and glanced in the general direction of them. What he saw made him pause for the briefest of moments.

A girl with thick brown hair sat beside a man, wrapped tightly in a blanket, his wand illuminating a fire, right there just on the inside of an alley, right off of that main road. He blinked in confusion. Although there was no recognition of the man, she was undeniably familiar.

That hair, the thin fingers wrapped in mittens, her bag slung onto the ground as she cast a simple spell to keep the snow that would soon fall off the man's fire. He looked frozen, trying desperately to stay warm in the wind, but Malfoy could hardly focus on him.

"Granger," he stated coldly, knowing exactly who she was. Even after five years, the busy hair and enlarged bag were a giveaway.

He nearly smirked when her head whipped around, eyes wide as she took in exactly who had said her name. The cool tone of Malfoy's sent shivers down her spine, deeper then any wind could reach. Her eyes danced over his face, surprised that the cruel boy could mature into anything but a prick.

Then again, he probably was.

Hermione grabbed her bag and stood up, smiling warmly at the man huddled down in the cold as she did so. He was so kind. "Malfoy," she replied in return, clutching her jacket closer to her body. The wind seemed to practically race through it. "What're you doing here?"

"Passing by," he replied briskly, looking at the man in the snow again. The rooftops above only blocked some of the cold out of the small alley he was nestled into, and Draco frowned at the predicament. They had shelters around there, didn't they? He hardly wanted to find cold, lifeless bodies around here the next time he was passing through.

The girl crinkled her nose. "Well, keep going." It was getting very dark outside, and she just wanted to get back to her cozy apartment room before the only light around were streetlights. Turning her attention to the man, she continued, "Are you sure you wouldn't like me to walk with you there? It's too cold out to sleep in this alley."

The man used his wand to project a dim light on her face, and smiled slightly. "No Miss, I'll do just fine here for a while. I have to wait you know, my Katherine hasn't come back yet."

She shook her head. "Sally shouldn't be out here either."

He shrugged. "Perhaps not, but all the same, I still need to wait for her."

"Then will you go?"

He smiled lightly at her. "If Katherine would like to." He looked the opposite way, down the alley, as though expecting her. "She will come soon."

"Would you like me to wait with you for her?"

"No dear, you should be going along. Let this nice young man get you out of the streets."

Draco had remained silent the whole time, and now reeled at the man's stupidity. Had he not heard their icy comments to each other? Or was he looking for a reason to send Granger off? Whatever it was, his reasoning should not have anything to do with the blond, who's ears were now turning an awful shade of red due to the cold.

And now the man thought he would be willing to escort the Mudblood anywhere? He was obviously off his rocker, and had paid very little attention to anything passing between them.

She glanced back at Draco, hair blowing freely in the wind. He could vaguely make out her flushed cheeks in the light, now that night had set in. She quickly snapped her head back around to the man, who Draco had yet to learn the name of. "I am sure I can make it to my destination all by myself."

"You never know Miss, awful people can be lurking in the dark at night." He curled his coat closer, looking at the two. "Go on now, I'll be fine."

She looked at him skeptically, ignoring the fact that Malfoy was still behind her for some unknown reason. What did he have to gain from standing around? "If your sure, but really, I think you should-"

He adverted his eyes to the irritated blond behind her, looking at the tall man squarely in the face. "Take her inside, before she catches a cold."

"You should do that yourself," Hermione reminded.

He flicked his wand, and seemed to smile in contempt. "There now, a heating spell. I'll be fine Miss, go on now."

Malfoy got the strange sense that this man sincerely wanted them to leave, probably to wait on his Katherine, whoever that was. He tugged on his scarf a bit, tired of the biting cold. "Really Granger, I think you can leave."

She turned around and stared at him with cool eyes. "And I should listen to you? I hardly doubt you give a damn Malfoy. Why are you even still standing here exactly?" She put her hands on her hips, her overweight bag causing her to lean to one side.

He rolled his eyes. "Apparently, I'm here to make sure you don't fucking freeze yourself to death. Now leave, he obviously doesn't want your assistance." Without waiting for what he was sure would be a heated response, the blond turned and stalked off. How could he have just wasted so much time standing in the cold with the Mudblood of all people?

He could still hear the bookworm talking to the man as he walked further away, her words drowned out why the rushing wind. A moment passed before he heard footsteps behind him, and knew that the girl had finally given up on getting the old man to move.

It surprised him greatly when she hurried to walk beside him. Yes, this was quite a predicament indeed. Her distaste in Draco had been obvious back there, and now here she was walking side by side with him in the cold? To a bystander, it may even look as though they were walking together. He shuddered at the thought.

"What're you doing Granger," he snapped, glancing down at her. She was quite a bit shorter then his 6'1" frame, and he guessed she could be no more then 5'4". Obviously she was just destined to be close to the ground.

"You make a remarkable shield against the harsh cold," she muttered, pulling at her cloak a bit. "If you can't even help a freezing man, you can at least be a block from the cold."

He scoffed. "Hardly Granger. If you are cold, find someone else to use."

"There's no one else out here Malfoy," she replied, her teeth beginning to chatter. "Its just us."

He stopped abruptly under a light, glaring down at the girl. Her cheeks were flushed a deep red from the cold, her eyes were livid and her jaw shook a bit. Her coat was hugging her body tightly, trying to keep out any wind. The humongous bag was slung over her right shoulder, the straps barely shutting. Her breath came in little puffs, much like his own, and Malfoy raised an eyebrow as he noticed her maturity. Her legs were more shapely, her hair wasn't bushy as much as wavy, with a slight frizz. Her teeth no longer had the unbecoming gap between them either.

Five years can do a lot to a person, he thought, before snapping his thoughts cleanly off right there. Enough about Granger's appearance, she was, after all, just Granger. "What do you want Granger?"

"Nothing," she snapped, knitting her clean eyebrows together. "I'm simply using you to keep my own warmth up as best I can." She stuttered a bit, her teeth still clattering.

"Use a warming charm then," he snapped, glaring at her. "Even that man knew how to use one of those, and he's going to die in the streets tonight."

Her expression hardened, despite the bitter cold. "If he keeps using those warming charms, he wont."

The blond scowled. "Let's hope."

She huffed. "You're no different then you were five years ago Malfoy," she snapped, before she turned and started off again.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean," he called over the roaring wind, that was blowing snow all around in a massive icy hurricane.

"It means," she growled, turning back, "that despite the fact that we have been through war, grown up, and seen life from different perspectives, you remain to be the same heartless, hopeless prick I've always known you to be. You couldn't even help me convince that man to get up and go someplace safe, before he catches pneumonia."

He shrugged. "He is none of my concern."

She practically snorted. "No, nothing ever is." She turned and raced off, sliding on the ice patches that had already formed on the streets, making sure to get out of hearing distance from Malfoy before she slowed down. Besides, it was blowing hard out there, she didn't have far to run.

Heartless git.

He watched her go. It was almost pathetic, watching her make so little progress against the strong wind and slick ice. She nearly fell once, and he almost felt obligated to go and help her, but he held his ground. She was a Mudblood, and a rude one at that.

Then again, he thought ruthfully, I'm no better.

He rolled his eyes and continued on for a few minutes, deciding to ignore any warming charms for now. His fingers were cold, and Zabini should still be at the club. He would make him do it instead.

Once he got there, he looked around, spotting Zabini off in the corner with his little minx. The blond inwardly smirked. What would her dear friends do if they discovered this little bitch frolicking around with the Slytherin's? He marched over, determined to ruin their snogging session.

"Oy Malfoy," Blaise grumbled, spotting the blond as he pulled back from the mess of red hair to stare at his girlfriend. Looking past her he continued, "You're nearly blue. What took you so long?"

He scowled, sitting down as Blaise pulled out his wand. "I got held up."

3 Weeks Later:

"I'm leaving," the blond growled, glaring into the party room full of unusual people. There were a few, scattered faces he recognized from school, the few people he had actually bothered to remember afterwards. But that was not exactly something good at this point.

"This isn't about you Malfoy," Blaise said, cutting him off. "This is all about Pansy."

"Yes well, couldn't they invite less Gryffindors? I mean she has lost her mind as it is-"

"Let it go," his friend grumbled, wandering into the room without waiting for another response from the blond. Draco rolled his eyes, and followed Blaise into the uncomfortable atmosphere, feeling extremely out of place. He quickly found a spot beside Theodore Nott, and crossed his arms definitely over his chest.

They were a half an hour late to the celebration, and the bar outside was just as packed as this room here. People had gathered for an extremely late celebration of the wedding, guests secretly passing along rude comments out of earshot from the bride and groom, who did their best to ignore the bitterness between their friends.

Theo tipped back his drink and studied the group around him. "Malfoy."

"Nott." Theodore Nott was not exactly someone he had gotten close to during school, and they had not talked in years. The boy looked almost exactly as he had five years ago, just more defined. His black hair fell slightly into his eyes, and it reminded Draco of the reason he was here in the first place.

"So, what do you think of your ex marrying Potter?"

Malfoy rolled his eyes. Since the announcement of their engagement a week before, all he had heard from people was that damn question. Couldn't they understand that he and Pansy no longer shared any romantic interests between each other? It had been a fourth year fling, and an exciting experiment in a closet, but nothing more. And that was almost eight years ago.

"I'm glad she found someone who believes they can tolerate her obsessive shopping," he replied, snatching up a shot as it floated by on a tray. "Even if it does happen to be bloody Potter."

Theo chuckled. "I knew that would bother you."

"Oh, of course you did."

He shrugged. "It would bother me too, if my ex desired Potter more then me."

Draco sighed. "Honestly Nott, I don't give a damn. Pansy can have her own life you know."

He nodded, sipping the rest of his drink. Glancing around, he noticed a pretty blond walking directly towards Draco. Nodding to her, he began to walk away. "Looks like you have a guest."

Malfoy looked over in the direction his former housemate had indicated, and noticed the girl. He knew her well, very well, and smirked widely as she paused in front of him with a flirtatious wink. "Draco."

"Daphne." He had spent many nights with that girl, and she never seemed to disappoint. He nodded back to her, not sharing in her happiness at being here. "You look far too happy."

She shrugged, leaning against the wall beside him. "I'm Pansy's maid of honor, of course I am happy."

"I suppose," he replied, looking around the room. Gryffindors had taken their respective places on the other side of the room, the only one separated form the pack being Blaise's minx, Ginny. She stood off with him and Astoria, seeming completely comfortable where she was. The former Slytherin's nearby didn't seem happy about this.

He looked away from the group, over to where Pansy was talking with Potter and one of his friends, the clumsy one that was always messing up his spells. Longbottom or something like that?

He moved his eyes from the boy to Pansy. She looked happy, holding her fiancés hand and even smiling at the Gryffindor, not seeming to care in the least about who she was associating with. The Pansy from a few years ago would've crinkled her nose and laughed at anyone who told her she would someday marry the-boy-who-lived.

She's lost her mind.

He slowly realized that Daphne was saying something, and tried to return to the conversation he had mentally stepped out of. "...has been looking at you since you walked in."

"Hmm," he asked, frowning. Who had been looking at him, and how quickly could seduce her?

Daphne rolled her eyes, downing the last of her drink with ease. "Granger over there. She hasn't stopped glaring."

Whatever excitement he had had about the girl died instantly. His cool gaze turned to the girl across the room, watching her with narrowed eyes. She wasn't drinking anything alcoholic he noticed, and was instead talking with the Weasel over the dim music, her eyes focused on a nearby wall. She had a book sitting on the table in front of her, and although her outfit was appropriate for the occasion she didn't seem to have any plans to get to know the people there.

Granger always was stuck up.

"She appears to have stopped," he said, glancing back at Daphne.

"Well of course she's stopped, you're actually paying attention now." She set her glass on a nearby table and leaned back against the chair, making her chest poke out a bit more against her think tank top. "What did you do to annoy the Princess? Or is that just a longtime grudge."

He ran his eyes up and down her body, hardly taking in exactly what she was wearing, and instead remembering all the times he had had her beneath him. Rather fond memories indeed, that caused his cock to stir just a bit. "I ran into her a few weeks ago. She was waiting around for some man who was outside waiting for a girl."

Daphne tilted her head. "Why would that make her mad at you? She was the one bothering him."

"It was freezing outside," he replied, looking at Granger again. Now he could see her lower legs, unlike a few weeks ago outside in the blistering cold, and although it was still frigid, she hadn't needed to go outside at all to get here, and the room was warm. "She was determined to get him inside, then used me as a bloody shield against the wind."

The girl chuckled and pushed her blond hair back. "Sounds like she wanted you to do something."

He raised an interested eyebrow, not taking his eyes off of Hermione. "Like what? Save her from blowing away?"

"Hardly," she replied, shaking her head. "She was probably hoping that you would help her persuade the man to leave, but knew you wouldn't. You are Draco after all, and you're very unlikely to help her of all people."

"Yes, I am," he replied absentmindedly. "I'm sure the old fool got someplace safe."

Daphne shrugged. "You never know. That's probably why your little friend was so worried about him, because she doubted he would move on his own."

He frowned. "We are not friends. And that man wasn't stupid, he had a wand and all."

The blond girl shook her head, and took his hand. "Well, whatever happened to him, its not going to change now." She slowly pulled him away from the wall, and up against her, their faces inches apart. "Now perhaps we could do something else?"

He smirked. "Of course."

It was late, but Draco was unnerved. The celebration was coming to a close, and the majority of the small group had left. It had been centered around main friends, but now he remained behind with Blaise and his girlfriend, waiting for the idiot to let go of her long enough for him to drag the Italian to the Floo and get out.

Fuck, he thought, as Blaise pushed the redhead into the wall a bit, the pair obviously having had far too much to drink. He was never going to get to leave. And Potter wasn't even around to drag his ex girlfriend away. Pity.

Although the party was over, whatever muted party it had been, the bar was still open a bit longer and Draco was frustrated. Daphne's words had rang in his head the entire time he had been with her, and now he was unable to push them out.

And the last thing he needed to be doing was thinking about Granger. I need another drink.

He wandered to the bar and away from the couple, hoping they wouldn't take too long. The Weasley girl was intoxicated, and it was unlikely that she would stay awake much longer. Blaise had often said the girl couldn't drink as much as one would think.

As he walked to the bar, he noticed that Granger sat at the opposite end, reading through a book as she talked to some drunk, obviously not sure what she was supposed to be saying to him. Rolling his eyes, Draco took a seat away from her and ordered his favorite, a firewhiskey.

As he began to down some of the drink, he thought back to Daphne's words. Sounds like she wanted you to do something. She was probably hoping that you would help her persuade the man to leave, but knew you wouldn't. You are Draco after all, and you're very unlikely to help her of all people. Granger was less then likely to hope for anything from him of all people.

A rough tap on his shoulder caused him to turn around, and there she was, one hand on her hip, the other clasping her book tightly to one side of her chest. She looked cold and sober, still able to walk in a completely straight line. Her lips were turned into a frown, and in his lightly buzzed state, he couldn't help noticing that they were full and pouty.

"Can I help you," he snapped, glancing behind her to notice that the drunk guy from earlier had retreated to another girl, apparently having been rejected.

Her frown deepened. "You should've stayed."

He raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me."

"With me, that day. You should've stayed."

"And what good would that have accomplished, besides freezing my arse off? The man wasn't moving Granger, simple as that, so drop it."

She shook her head, lips pressed tightly together. "I knew you wouldn't in the first place Malfoy. You are no different from how you were at school."

"Why would I have wasted my time on that excuse for a man? He wasn't moving and you were stupid enough to assume he would."

She shook her head. "Because it would have been right. I've heard a rumor or two that you have changed your ways, but nothing will ever change you."

He scowled and pushed his drink away. "Will you go away Granger? It was one day, and you know nothing about me. It's been five years, I could've changed some of the things about me."

She laughed dryly. "I doubt it. That girl, what's her name? Daphne? You drug her away for nearly an hour, and she came back with her top all messed up. Don't think that just because I was a bookworm at school, that I missed the stories all the girls told about you. You still treat women like toys, and you still couldn't care less about anyone but yourself. Tell me that that doesn't sound like your teenage self!"

Her voice had rose a few volumes, but the music in here was far louder, and no one paid them any attention. He stood up, careful to not let go of the bar in case his earlier alcohol consumption would still affect him. "I have always been able to have anyone I wanted Granger. A few years wont change that." He smirked then, glancing her up and down once, finally able to see her body.

The coat had obviously hidden her upper body. He could now see her nice chest, no bigger then a C, and her slim waist that she had developed sometime since they left school. Her legs were longer then he would've assumed, and the flats that she wore screamed nothing but sensible, because anything high heeled and showy just wouldn't be Granger. She honestly wasn't bad to look at, and he could understand now why the drunk had taken an interest in her.

"I could probably even get you if I wanted, Granger."

She scoffed. "Hardly. I wont be swayed by your flirtatious attempts, nor do I expect you to take any interest in a Mudblood, Malfoy. That would just be below you, wouldn't it?" She was glaring, her face taking on a look of utter distaste. "You are so confident that you could get me, yet you don't know anything about me. You never have."

"I know you have an unusual passion for learning," he replied back coolly, holding her eyes. "And that your redheaded friend still seems to have some sort of feelings for you."

She rolled her eyes. "Whether Ron does or not, its not what we are talking about right now. We're talking about you, and the awful way you treat anything that's living."

"I never get complaints about my treatment," he snapped, glaring back now. "Whatever your problem is Granger, about what happened a few weeks ago, you need to get over it."

Hermione shook her head, pointing a finger at him. "You need to stop telling me to get over things, and start considering what you could've done instead."

The blond's frown deepened. "Instead? You're overreacting Granger, the man's fine."

She gave him a sad smile. "Keep thinking that." She pushed back some of her hair, slightly frizzy , and continued right on talking. "But I will never be stupid enough to let you get me Malfoy. I would never fall for your games."

"Oh really," he asked, raising an interested eyebrow. "I say that you would. No one can resist me Granger, even someone like you."

She shook her head, rolling her deep brown eyes. The boy was insufferable. "That is why I would never fall for you Malfoy, because you wouldn't respect me afterwards. You'd sooner stop calling me a Mudblood if I broke you."

He chuckled and pat her lightly on the head. "Well, that's definitely never going to happen."

She pushed his hand away. "You never know Malfoy. We are two very different people, with two very different tactics in everything we do. You don't know what I'm capable of either, and don't try to tell me you can imagine any of it."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Whatever Granger, I don't have time for this conversation. It's getting late, and I think I finally see Blaise returning with your dear friend."

Her head whipped around to stare at Ginny, who was walking hand in hand across the building with Blaise, smiling widely. She inwardly groaned. Those Slytherin's could be dangerous, after all. It was the same concern she had towards Harry. "I see," she replied, fixing her small bag.

Malfoy watched her head turn back, and those dark brown eyes looking into his cold grey ones. "I could teach you things Malfoy, even outside your own realm of understanding, maybe I could even open up that narrow mind of yours. But everyone is right, you wont change, and I shouldn't waste my time."

As Blaise got close, the brunette turned her back and met the redhead halfway, dragging her off in the other direction. The Italian watched, confused, before continuing on to his blond friend, who seemed very irritated.

"Talking to Granger I see," he said, leaning against the bar as well. He peered at the two girls as they walked towards the Floo, Ginny turning back to wave once through the diminishing crowd. "She's gotten rather easy on the eyes."

"Zabini," Draco replied, rubbing his head. "Don't you have a girlfriend?"

The boy nodded, smiling. "I do, I just figured it was the easiest way to find out if you were interested in her."

"Never! She's absolute filth."

"Well, you didn't seem to think so a minute ago. Besides, you can't stick with that belief forever."

"Fuck off," he muttered, looking over at a pretty girl with long black hair, and rather large breasts. She would be perfect to go over to, with the way she had her eyes half closed and a teasing smile playing at her lips, if he wasn't so focused on Granger, and her strange attitude. "I swear, that girl doesn't let go of anything."

Blaise raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. Something had obviously gone on between the two, and Hermione was very upset. But whatever it was, he was sure he didn't want to end up in the middle of it.

Hermione sat on her apartment couch, dress discarded on the floor, an oversized t-shirt now covering her upper body.

She couldn't believe that had happened, and she had been so stupid not to pay attention. She could've changed it, but it was too late now. And she could've told him too, what would've happened, but she hadn't, because he wouldn't care.

But, she would make him see, two very important things. First, that she could break him, despite his obvious belief that she was incapable of seducing. She would break his urge to use women, simply because it wasn't right, and the boy needed a wake-up call.

And second, she would show him his own mistake, and hers too. It hadn't worked before, but now, she knew he needed to make a change, or he would never understand the rest of the world.